New Apostolic Church from A to Z

Bible | Holy Scripture

Holy Scripture—the Bible—is a collection of writings about God’s activity, promises, and commandments. It consists of the Old Testament and the New Testament. Holy Scripture attests to the revelations of God, however it is not a complete or exhaustive account of all of God’s deeds. God has seen to it that, that which is important for the salvation of mankind has been preserved.

 The author of Holy Scripture is God. Human beings, whom the Holy Spirit inspired to this purpose, wrote down that which God revealed. As concerns form and manner of expression, the biblical books bear the mark of their respective authors as well as the worldview and experiences of their time. The term “inspiration” means “prompting”, “breathed in”. Divine inspiration signifies that the Holy Spirit has prompted a human being to do something or has imparted something to a human being.

In the New Apostolic Church the Apocrypha are assigned the same value as the other writings of the Old Testament.

Holy Scripture is the foundation for the doctrine of the New Apostolic Church. Verses taken from Holy Scripture are also the basis of the sermon in the divine services.

 

Brain death

Human life begins with fertilisation and ends with brain death. It must be protected and may not be actively terminated. Two points in time cannot be unequivocally determined: the moment of ensoulment and the moment when the soul separates from the body. In order to protect human life, the Church assumes that ensoulment takes place at the moment of conception and that the separation of body and soul takes place at brain death.

 

Baptism | Holy Baptism

Through Holy Baptism a fundamental change in the relationship between a human being and God comes into being. Through the washing away of original sin, the baptised is led out of his original state of remoteness from God and enters the proximity of God. He becomes a Christian. Through his faith and profession of Christ, the baptised now belongs to the church of Christ.

The dispensation of Holy Baptism with water is possible and effective in all parts of the one church of Christ. Baptism with water is the first step on the way to perfect redemption. Wherever believers are baptised with water and in the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the baptism is valid. Baptism with water has been entrusted to the church as a whole. The reason for this lies in God’s universal will to save.